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Community Safety & Crime Reduction

What is Community Safety?

Community safety is a term defined by the Home Office as:

"an aspect of 'quality of life' in which people, individually and collectively, are protected as far as possible from hazards or threats that result from the criminal or anti-social behaviour of others, and are equipped or helped to cope with those they do experience"

"It should enable them to pursue, and obtain fullest benefits from, their social and economic lives without fear or hindrance from crime and disorder"

The Northern Ireland Community Safety Unit website states that:

"Community safety means preventing, reducing or containing the social, environmental and intimidatory factors which affect people's right to live without fear of crime and which impact upon their quality of life. It includes preventative measures that contribute to crime reduction and tackle anti-social behaviour"

What is Crime Reduction?

Unlike community safety which covers a range of issues, the term crime reduction focuses on specific techniques for preventing offences from happening. It:

'encompasses efforts by individuals and organisations to prevent and reduce levels of criminal behaviour in their neighbourhood and further afield. Solutions may also involve tackling quality of life issues and the underlying causes of crime.'

There are two common approaches to crime reduction these are:

1. Situational - Changing the physical environment to make it harder to commit crime.
2. Social - working with those at risk of committing crime, improving quality of life, reducing fear of crime, supporting vulnerable groups working to reduce the causes of crime.

 It was the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 that introduced multi-agency partnerships like Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), thus making community safety and crime reduction core issues for many agencies to whom they had previously been peripheral.

Agencies involved in Community Safety and Crime Reduction in London

There are many agencies involved in Community Safety and Crime Reduction across London, all working to make London a safer place. Listed below are the main statutory agencies involved in this venture, but in no way act as a decisive list.

• Metropolitan Police Authority - The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) exists to make sure that London’s police are accountable for the services they provide to people in the capital.
• Greater London Authority - Created by the Greater London Authority Act 1999, the Mayor and the London Assembly constitute a unique form of strategic citywide government for London.
• British Transport Police - British Transport Police is the national police force for the railways providing a policing service to rail operators, their staff and passengers throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
• Transport for London - TfL was created in 2000 and is the integrated body responsible for the Capital's transport system.
• London Fire Bridage - Third largest firefighting organisation in the world responsible for protecting life and property from fire within Greater London.
• London Development Agency - Work to deliver the Mayor's vision for London to be a sustainable world city with strong, long-term economic growth, social inclusion and active environmental improvement.
• Government Office for London - GOL represents central government across the capital, delivering policies and programmes for eleven central government departments in a joined up way, and making London’s case in Whitehall.
• London Councils - London Councils is a think-tank and lobbying organisation that promotes the interests of London's 33 Councils.
• Metropolitan Police Service - Working together for a safer London.
• City of London Police - The City of London Police is responsible for the safety of everyone in London's 'Square Mile'.
• London Probation - Deliver a range of services to offenders, all designed to tackle their offending behaviour.
• Her Majesty's Prison Service - Serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts.
• Home Office - Is the government department responsible for immigration, counter-terrorism, police, drugs policy, and related science and research.
• London Criminal Justice Board - The London CJB works with the agencies that make up the CJS - the police, the courts, victim support, the probation service, youth justice services and the prisons - to ensure that anyone who has anything to do with the system in London experiences an effective and responsive service.
  
  

  
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Links

• Home Office - Crime Reduction
  Home office site for providing information and resources for people working to reduce crime in their local area
  www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/
  
• Home Office - Reducing Crime
  General information about community safety
  www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/community-safety/
  
• Direct Government
  A site that has information about Community safety Schemes where you live
  www.direct.gov.uk/
  
• The National Community Safety Network
  Practitioner-led organisation supporting those involved in promoting community safety/crime reduction throughout the United Kingdom
  www.community-safety.net/
  
• Community Safety Info
  Provides information and advice on crime & disorder prevention, combating drug and alcohol misuse & related police, justice & penal reform issues; to help develop safer communities
  www.community-safety.info/
  
• NACRO
  NACRO is a crime reduction charity that works to give ex-offenders and disadvantaged people the help they need to builds a better future.
  www.nacro.org.uk/
  
• Catch 22
  Charity working to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime.
  www.catch-22.org.uk
  
• London Action Trust
  Charity working to break the cycle of offending and create safer communities
  www.lat.org.uk 
  
• Crime Info
  Information on crime, what causes it and how it is dealt with.
  www.crimeinfo.org.uk/
  
• Centre for Crime and Justice Studies
  The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies aims to encourage and facilitate an understanding of the complex nature of issues concerning crime and related harms.
  www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/
  
• CrimLinks
  Current Restorative Justice information.
  www.crimlinks.com/
  
• London Training and Resource Centre
  Helping to create succesful neighbourhoods.
  www.londontrc.org.uk/
  

Downloads

• The National Community Safety Plan 2008-2011
  www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ 
• Community Safety Plan for Transport and Travelling 2008/09
  Transport for London's Community Safety Plan for Transport and Travelling outlines how they intend to further improve safety and security on London's transport network.
  www.tfl.gov.uk